Above Gaza/Infrared (Gaza)

In the early 2000’s persons living in the Gaza Strip became aware of Israeli military drones flying in the sky above their costal enclave. The distinct sound produced by the drones earned them the name zenana, Arabic for ‘buzzing’ or mosquito. Soon it became apparent that the drones were armed and could strike anywhere without warning.

The drones have since become a disturbing part of daily life for those living in Gaza. Many feel that these unmanned aircraft have become a constant presence in their lives, a reminder that Israel has them under a deadly surveillance.

Israel pioneered the use of aerial drones in the 1970’s and 80’s, first integrating the technology into combat operations during wars with Lebanon and other Arab nations. Early experience on the battlefield aided the development of a robust drone industry that has emerged as one of the top global exporters of unmanned aerial vehicles in the world today.

Inside Israel, drones are considered a humanitarian weapon, keeping pilots out of danger while minimizing civilian casualties on the ground. The appeal of the technology has led to the widespread use of drones by the Israeli military to carry out strikes during fighting with armed Palestinian groups in Gaza. But with each new round of conflict, more civilians are falling victim to the drone strikes.
Looking to investigate the production of drones inside Israel and visualize the consequences of the technology on civilians in Gaza, Vittoria Mentasti and Daniel Tepper photographed inside Israeli drone factories, with the Israeli military, and throughout the Gaza Strip.

While in gaza the pair also photographed scenes of daily life across the Gaza Strip using a thermal imaging system to create an alternate picture of the environment of conflict in Gaza.
The thermal vision of the drone renders persons on the ground as anonymous figures. These readily dehumanized forms can be swiftly marked as targets for observation or airstrikes. Thermal video turns the violent aftermath of an airstrike into barely distinguishable forms – body parts and rubble gets lost amid the gray scale clutter. In this new vision of war, the perpetrators and audience can readily accept the consequences of combat, as seen through the stoic eye of the thermal camera.

The photographers wanted to show Gaza through the eye of a drone but from an intimate, ground level perspective that remains inaccessible to unmanned vehicles flown by the Israeli military. The imaging system was hacked to further abstract the images and play with the notions of representation and discretion that inform drone vision.